With pet ownership come many responsibilities. In particular, dog owners generally need to take their dog outside several times a day both for exercise, stimulation and for elimination. Because this is a daily occurrence regardless of the weather, the pet is sometimes exposed to rain, snow and cold. As much as a dog is loved that special “wet dog” odor is never appreciated. Toweling off the pet when the outdoor excursion is a necessary chore to prevent water from scattering around the inside of the dwelling, but adds to the workload of the owner.
Many breeds have thick coats of long hair that are well suited for cold, wet weather. However, the long hair takes time to dry. Other short hair breeds need extra protection of a garment such as a sweater, coat or raincoat to tolerate bad weather.
In most urban and suburban areas, dogs generally are not permitted to run free except in designated areas and must be on a lead attached to a collar or harness.
Many pet owners prefer a harness to a collar because they feel that they can control the pet better. When owners and guardians pull on the leash, animals are alerted to the human's level of control and intent. From a mild tug to a fierce restraint, animals are instantly aware of the expected behavior through the level of pressure the animal feels along its entire upper body. This gives the pet assurance of knowing their human is the “leader of the pack” while allowing guardians an unparalleled level of control. Harnesses allow the guardians and owners to keep their pets and themselves safe in all manner of situations without choking a pet into compliance: from a leisurely stroll to strong restraint against perceived provocations—real or imagined.
Putting on any weather protection garment is difficult for the pet guardian if the pet is on a leash attached to a harness. However, both a protective garment and a harness are essential for a pleasant outdoor experience in foul or cold weather.
To put on the harness, the owner must put the harness over the garment, which requires adjusting the harness to accommodate the extra girth created by the garment and then readjusting it when the harness is in use without the garment.
More difficult is placing the harness under the garment, which requires a garment with a hole on the back. The opening exposes the animal's back to the elements, allowing rain, sleet and snow to get in and under the garments. Some garments are available with such a hole, but generally the garment must be slit or cut open. To preserve garment durability, the hole must be stitched or finished by tape to prevent tearing and fraying. The pet guardian must accurately make the slit or cut so that pet's leash can be attached to the harness that is now under the garment.
While these remedies may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.